Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has acknowledged that India was aware of the growing public anger and widespread protests in Bangladesh against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, he stated that India could not intervene in the matter.
According to a report by The Hindu on Saturday (March 22), members of India's Advisory Committee on Foreign Affairs engaged in direct discussions with Jaishankar regarding the country's foreign policy. The discussions primarily focused on developments in Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.
Jaishankar noted that India was closely monitoring the political unrest in Bangladesh. He referenced a recent statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, in which the United Nations warned the Bangladeshi military that any violent crackdown on unarmed protesters could result in a ban from participating in UN peacekeeping missions.
Despite the Bangladesh interim government's efforts to engage in dialogue with India, tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi remain due to India granting political asylum to Sheikh Hasina. In December 2024, India sent Foreign Secretary Vikram Mishra to Dhaka to establish formal communication with the interim administration.
However, India's Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor, Professor Muhammad Yunus, will hold an official meeting during the upcoming BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
Jaishankar also mentioned the influence of "external forces" in Bangladesh’s political landscape and described China as a "competitor" rather than an "adversary."
Additionally, he addressed concerns regarding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which has not held a summit since 2014.
In 2016, India withdrew from the 19th SAARC summit, which was scheduled to take place in Pakistan, following the September 18 terrorist attack on an Indian military base in Uri. Since then, India has shifted its focus toward BIMSTEC, raising uncertainty about SAARC's future.
